A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about classified information in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese cars.
He said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider defence environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of government operations, including transport usage to communication practices.
